1. Field of the Invention
A glove for use by women in putting on and taking off clothing items such as panty hose, hose and leotards, the glove being of a soft material such as nylon; segmented into a plurality of sections, there being a section for the thumb, a section for the index finger and a section for the remaining three fingers, the sections being joined at their base ends with a radius whereby maximum movement of the thumb and fingers of the user is permitted when the glove is on and the user is donning panty hose or other similar items of clothing or using the glove for other purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hand coverings in the nature of gloves, mittens, mitts and the like have long been known, as have hand coverings in the nature of gloves which are segmented to present a plurality of interconnected sections for collectively enveloping the thumb and four fingers of a user, with separate sections being provided for the thumb; for the index finger; and for the middle, ring and little finger.
Glove construction of this general type is taught by the following United States patents: Whitaker, U.S. Pat. No. 265,902; Abraham, U.S. Pat. No. 1,468,791; Curtis, U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,388; and Hansson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,066.
However, none of these patents disclose a glove of lightweight material, such as nylon, wherein the junctions between the base ends of the individual sections are provided with a radius, as contrasted to a sharp V-configurations, whereby the sections are interconnected to permit maximum movement of the thumb and index finger of the user when the glove is used for instance to work with delicate material such as hosiery, when it is necessary to position such hosiery on the body.
Yet further, the prior art does not teach, in combination with such a radius, a plurality of relief cuts radiating outwardly from each of the radii whereby to relieve the stress which is normally presented at the radii and to further enhance the moveability of the first and second sections of the glove and thus achieve the desired complete freedom of movement of the thumb and fingers when the glove is utilized in handling the placement of garments such as panty hose on the body, where maximum dexterity is needed. The glove disclosed herein may be fabricated from a nylon material and may present a metacarpal portion and a gauntlet portion whereby to cover the entire hand of the user, with elastic being provided between said portions to retain, position and hold the glove in the correct position on the hand of the user or, in the alternative, the glove may present an abbreviated metacarpal portion which terminates midway of the metacarpal area of the user whereby essentially only the thumb and finger enveloping sections are presented.
The glove finds particular usage in covering the hands of women when it is desired to put on items such as hose or panty hose but yet retain on the user's hands rings, which otherwise might have a tendency to rip, tear or snag the hosiery, the glove also preventing damage to the hosiery due to rough skin or jagged fingernails.
Thus, there is provided a lightweight, highly flexible, highly maneuverable glove, particularly intended to be utilized by a woman in placing panty hose on her body but which is also highly usable in other instances where protection or covering for the hand is desired while retaining maximum dexterity for the fingers, notwithstanding their envelopment in the glove. Other uses might include use as a protective glove to prevent special creams and medications from getting on bed linens, covers, and furniture or use as a cover for the hands when hand or machine washing delicate fabrics.